I love you, O Lord, my strength...Psalm 18:1

Sometimes when reading the scriptures we encounter a verse that will really challenge us. Then there are those verses that just make us scratch our heads and wonder what God was trying to tell us. The verse today is one that even someone as goofy as myself can't mess up. What a way to wirte what reminds me of a Valentine's love letter. Every now and then my wife will still write me a letter and I love to hear her saying that she loves me, but add that someone is our strength, WOW! If I was to write God a letter, this is probably how I would start the letter and end the letter! What are we without God? Who are we without God? Do we exist without God? I believe it was Solomon in the Bible that attempted to live without God in his life. He basically gives up, saying it's not worth it...there is nothing to live for. Life without God is hopeless. This week I would like to challenge all of us to make God more evident in our lives. When people see you, do they see Jesus, or do they just see another person who spent $20 on cool looking T-shirt with some wise saying. A good motto for the week is this: Walk the Walk, and Talk the Talk...God Bless

Tony

"And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the intergrity and seriousness of your teaching..."
Titus 2:7

There are times in life when it's hard to "keep" my Christianity in tact. When someone cuts me off in traffic, when I'm in a hurry and there's only one checker, or when I thought someone was a friend, but it turns out I was being used...there are so many times in life when it's hard to be a good example for others. When I was younger I tried to be an example to those around me, not really sure of who that was...but now days I have two little people in my life that constantly watch my every move, even when I don't know they're watching. Being a husband is a great feeling, being a dad is a greater feeling, but being their example is terrifying! I can't be a good example all by myself. I have to look to Christ and His perfect example in order to be a good example to my family. Allow me to ask today, who's watching you? Who's following your lead? What kind of role model are you being for that person today? This gives new meaning to being a Christian 24/7/365! Role models never get a day off...God bless you this week and may you be a good example to someone!

Rejoice Always...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus..."
What great words are offered to us in this passage. I can handle the rejoicing, and I don't mind the praying part of this verse, but the last part gets me. It says to give thanks in all circumstances...I'm pretty good about being thankful when I'm reeling in fish after fish. I'm pretty good about giving thanks when I bring in a fish over 5lbs. I'm great at giving God the glory when I've won a tournament. I'm not so good about giving thanks when things aren't necessarily going my way. When I want to go one direction and God says no, I usually do like a small child and throw a tantrum or get aggravated and quit trying. Let me encourage you to be thankful in all situations this week. I know it's tough to be thankful when you're not feeling well, or when you don't make the grade you thought you should've made. It's not easy to be thankful when doing housework or having truck problems. We can be thankful that we have a home, transportation, food, and clothes. It may not be the best food or the nicest clothes, but thank God we have something to complain about...God bless and thank you for allowing me to share with you this week!

Don't worry, be happy...

1 Timothy 6:8, is very plain and simple. It simply says, "So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content..."
There are very few verses in the Bible that are that simple to understand for me anyway. As we try to unwind from the holidays and get over in laws that overstayed their welcome, or all the travelling we did, all the credit card debt we racked up, and all those extra pounds that came to visit, I love the simplicity of this verse. As I look back on 2010, I think of all the hardships we endured, but guess what...we're still here. We are here because of the grace of God and His willingness to allow us to serve Him in so many different capacities. Not one day in 2010 did I not have something to eat or something to wear. In fact I feel bad because every now and then I have to go through my T-shirt drawer and get rid of some. Pass them on to someone else. As far as food is concerned in our home, we make sure all left overs are gone before getting new stuff. I'm not so good with left-overs, but I feel bad for my wife and kids eating the same thing over and over! I want to make this my verse for this year. I love that it says we should be content with that. Let's pause for a minute and allow me to ask you a question...What makes you happy? Many of you answered that question before you were done reading it, but for many of you it took some time. As 2011 rolls out new opportunities for us let us jump on them...and be content! May your closets stay full and your pantries never run dry! God Bless...

Tony

Immanuel...

Matthew 1:23- "and they will call Him Immanuel- which means, God with us..."
The other day while reading the "Christmas" story I noticed something I had never noticed before. His name shall be Immanuel which means God with us. I have even sang the song that has this same line in it, but for some reason it hit me different this time. God with us...I had never really stopped to ponder on what that means. This means that no matter where we are, how far we've fallen, how sick we are, how bad we feel, how bad life has beat us...God is still with us! What a relief to read those words. I had to put my Bible down and praise God for a few moments when I read that. Even thouh we can't see the solution to our problems, God knows what lies ahead. With all the health issues I've had recently this was really nice to read. I have let that stay with me for a few days now and it has really made a difference at how I approach everyday situations. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ let us also remember...He is with us...God Bless until our next meeting.

Tony

abundance...

In John 10:10 we read, "the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give you life in abundance..." that is paraphrased of course and is more than likely the Huerta's version. It still says alot. The thief has come and has taken all he wants from today's families and we have let it. Too often we feel helpless in a fight against things that we can't see and before we realize it we've lost the battle. How many times have we been too busy working in order to sustain our families and provide all the things we "need". Christmas time is one of the most stressful times for many, and it should be the best time of the year to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Instead of celebrating His birth we worry about what to get in-laws, how to decorate better than the neighbors, how to buy better presents than everyone else, and even how we're gonna top last year's gift! What about Jesus? Where does He fit in this picture? Every year at this time we start to hear about saying, "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas", and how one is more correct than the other. I say we just start saying, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" to one another and see what people say about that...shoot, what if we started greeting one another that way all year. We say Jesus is the reason for the season, but if He's in our hearts then He's the reason for every season. Satan loves division and confusion. How about we get on the same page and remind him that we're not confused. We know why we celebrate! God Bless and "Happy Birthday Jesus!"...

Tony

Blast from the Past

Wow, what a weekend! On saturday we celebrated my wife's birthday, then on sunday we had a birthday party for my oldest daughter, Selah. It was a great weekend getting to see old friends and talking about the good ol' days toether. In this photo, I am pictured with Sylvia Lawler and Sally Murff. Sylvia was our church secretary at FBC Junction, while Sally was our daycare director. Eventhough their titles said one thing they wore several hats in their jobs. To me these two ladies were the ones that made everyone's job alot easier. I'm pretty good at proposing ideas, but don't know about logistics. These ladies made sure it came to life. I don't know how many hours we spent in prayer for one another and for our families. I love to hear a mother's prayer. After I left our church in Junction I lost touch with some, but these ladies have always been in my heart. Now we work in three different places doing three entirely different jobs but we still have a common bond, Jesus.
We are about to embark on a new journey as I have accepted a new job as Youth Minister in Winters. I don't know what the future holds for my health or my family. I do know one thing though: I will be making more new friends! I am excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Winters and really feel that God is going to bring complete healing to my wounded body. "I will restore your health and heal your wounds..." Jeremiah 30:17. I live by this verse and look forward to every morning to see what God has for me. I always try to look to the future, but sometimes it's nice to stop and remember the past, because that's what made us who we are today...stop...remember...thank God...blessings...

Tony